New Mustang Bullitt – My Thoughts

Showcased at the Detroit Auto Show, this is the new 2019 Ford Mustang Bullitt Edition. It’s a more expensive, more powerful version of the 2018 Mustang GT, though no price or performance figures have been released yet. If you don’t already know, Bullitt is an old 1968 Steve McQueen movie with a very famous car chase scene in it. This new Bullitt Edition Mustang pays homage to that chase by taking the iconic look of the classic Mustang McQueen drove in the film, and putting it on the modern Mustang. What you get from that is a very cool, retro car that you can tell is special.

Going on looks alone (of course I haven’t driven it, not many people have), I think it’s fantastic. The subtle design tweaks and changes Ford has done to make the Bullitt, in my opinion, just work. Everything from the black rims to the lack of a spoiler and the chrome around the wheels and windows, hark back to the good old days of the 1960s Mustangs. My only gripe is the fact that the car has been pretty much completely de-badged. It’s quite hard to find the iconic Mustang on this car. Yes, I know the reason that it has little presence of the horse is because so did the original Bullitt one, but personally I’m not a fan of de-badging cars. Especially if the car is a Mustang. Luckily, I think it goes with the car’s looks quite well, so it wouldn’t be a deal breaker if I was offered one myself.

Performance wise, there has been some upgrades from the regular GT. Although as I’ve said, no figures have been released yet, Ford have stated it will have more horsepower and a distinct exhaust note. I’m glad that the Bullitt is better on the inside as well as outside than the car it’s based on. From what I’ve seen so far, it looks like the 2019 Bullitt will be continuing the legacy of the fifty year old film in all it’s glory. I don’t know if it is coming to the UK, but if it’s not I will be very disappointed, because I very much want one.

The original Bullitt Mustang meets the new one.A very blurry image from the 1968 Bullitt car chase sequence.